THE BOSTON GLOBE: SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND AT THE G20 SUMMIT

On the even of the G-20 economic summit in London, Obama is meeting one-on-one with allies and potential enemies alike, including Russian President Dmitri A. Medvedev, whom he will meet again in Moscow to reach agreement on cutting nuclear weapons stockpiles before an existing treaty expires at the end of the year.  He also met with Chinese President Hu Jintao to seek more cooperation on security and the economy, including a new dialogue. 

“I came here to put forward our ideas, but I also came here to listen, and not to lecture,” Obama said in a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. “Having said that, we must not miss an opportunity to lead. To confront a crisis that knows no borders, we have a responsibility to coordinate our actions and to focus on common ground, not on our occasional differences. If we do, I believe we can make enormous progress.”

Question to the Blogosphere:  Do you think the G20 should meet more than it currently does per year?  What common ground can be established between different economies on what is the best course of action is to overcome the global financial crisis?  For example, do some countries have an interest in the failure of others–arethere advantages to this for some countries competing for power?  Could the new relationships forged between disparate countries be used to resolve other issues between countries?